Bicycles have been utilized as means of transportation for over a hundred years. Modern bicycles generally include control cables which are used to control front and rear wheel braking systems, and front and rear shifting mechanisms. Typically, the cables are routed from brake and shift levers to the braking systems and derailleur. The bicycle may also have wires for an odometer and front and rear lights. Those cables and wires are generally mounted along the outside of the bicycle frame with various attachments such as clips.
Cables and wires can interfere with either the rider or other components of the bicycles (e.g. tool compartment attached to the frame). Externally located cables and wires are susceptible to damage from the surrounding environment (e.g. tree, branches) and also to vandalism. The cables may also detract from the aesthetic appearance of the frame by covering art or graphic logos.
For different reasons, many cities have inaugurated in the recent years bicycle sharing programs whereby citizens can easily have access to bicycles for inner-city transportation. Although very popular, those programs have to struggle against theft and vandalism. There is therefore an urgent need for new bicycles with a singular design of frames for preventing vandalism or disassembly or the stealing of parts.
Prior attempts have been made to conceal bicycle cables and wires by extending the cables through the inside of the bicycle frame components. Examples can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 7,114,738 and U.S. patent applications No. US 2004/0188976 and US 2006/0145446. However, those frames do not address all of the above-identified problems, either because they maintain some exposed segments of cables, because they are too complex, because the configuration of the frame is such that cables wear prematurely due to continuous scrubbing against the frame, or because they are not adaptable to bicycles designed to be used in bicycle sharing programs. The same is true with handlebars of the prior art.
Therefore, it would be desirable to be provided with a handlebar for a bicycle that would contribute to alleviate at least one of the above-mentioned drawbacks.